Debt
by enexral
Summary: Jennifer Yelnats and her father are put into a sticky situation when the two owe money to too many men to list. There seems to be no way out, until Jennifer comes up with the idea of heading down to Camp Green Lake to find the treasure and use it for their debt. [ZigzagxOC]
1. Orientation

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay, so this is an AU obviously, meaning that Stanley isn't at the camp and the events in the movie/book don't happen in this story. Also, Jennifer (or JC), is made to be the daughter of Stanley Yelnats the third. And I do know that this whole situation is quite unrealistic, but I did try my best to make some things seem as real as they could. Feedback is appreciated! x**

I sighed lightly as I leaned my head back against the wall of the bus station bench. Rain pelted down against the pavement - it had been raining for hours. Me and my father had been sitting at the bus stop of hours. It was late at night, maybe around three in the morning, and we were both tired and exhausted from that day's previous events.

 _"Just give me some more time, please!"_

 _"And why's that? I've already given you time well over the due date."_

 _"I'll- I'll- I'll give you more than I owe!"_

 _"Is that even possible?"_

 _"Yes! Please, just give me a chance."_

 _"Oh, shut up. I'll give you three months. Not a day more."_

 _"Thank you, thank you!"_

I let out another sigh, remembering the conversation between my father and the man he owed money to. He owed money to a lot of people, truth be told. My father could never get a job and me being a high school, homeless dropout, no one would ever hire me either. There was no way that we could gather up enough money in time, and we both knew it. His plan was to leave town, but we had no means of transportation. Bus fees were too expensive, the Texas heat was too hot for us to travel by foot. We could have robbed a gas station, but then we'd be no better than the men we owed money to. It was hopeless, honestly.

"I'm going to go to the library," I nodded, pulling out a raggedy old umbrella that I had found earlier that day.

"Okay, I'll be at the gas station," my father spoke, standing up as well.

"Love you."

And with that, I made my way across the road and down the street. I was happy that the library was always open, and even though the librarian was an old, unhappy woman, I still enjoyed sitting in the quiet atmosphere with a good book.

Once I arrived at my destination, I closed my umbrella and silently entered. I gave a small nod toward the librarian, only earning a glare in return, and walked over toward the bookshelves. I liked the miscellaneous section the most - it had manga, old newspapers, etc, etc. There just wasn't just one topic.

My blue eyes scanned over the newspapers, deciding to envelope myself in old history news. I grabbed a random stack and sat down at an empty table, instantly beginning to read the text. It seemed like only a few minutes had passed, but once I glanced at the clock, it was nearlyfive a.m.I decided on meeting my father at the gas station, but as I stood to my feet and gathered up the newspapers, my eyes landed on something that interested me.

 **Kate's Revenge**

 ** _"Must be apprehended at any cost."_**

I raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued, and quickly plopped my butt back down into the seat.

 _ **Outraged, citizens of Green Lake Clamor for justice!**_

 _Tuesday morning, reports from the southerly town implicated the bandit, Kissin' Kate Barlow, in the act of trespassing on the Walker's estate and assaulting the son of land baron mayor, Charles Walker, while he was tending to chores out by their boat house._

My eyes gazed farther down, reading the column with interest.

 _'Charles is a gentle boy, and a hard worker,' said his father, when asked to make a statement about the event. 'Clearly, this is an unprovoked attack perpetrated by a woman out for revenge for the just and rightful execution of her criminal lover.'_

One of my eyebrows raised at the statement, confused as to what her supposed lover did to be executed.

 _Barlow, who had been described by the townsfolk as a 'sweet and unassuming teacher of poetry and literature,' snapped suddenly one day last January. After the sentencing and trial of her alleged lover, a local, dark skinned peddler of herbal remedies and poultices, Barlow took revenge upon the town's sherif by way of a gunshot wound to the heart for his allowing the guilty verdict to be meted out and the peddler to be shot until dead._

The story saddened me, knowing that the woman probably loved the man to no extent. What a terrible way for love to die.

 _Kissin' Kate continues to elude capture and imprisonment for her crimes here to manifested, as well as her involvement in the robbery of the Baloonia Savings Bank last month. Allegations continue to build against the bandit._ _ **[...]**_ _Green Lake continues to suffer from a disastrous drought, but the travelers are still encouraged to come stay with the town and enjoy their hospitality and tourism, especially as their summer festivities draw near._

After finishing the column, I discovered several more newspapers with Kate Barlow on the front page.

 **Kissin' Kate Barlow claims two more men.**

 **Former teacher seeks revenge.**

 **Kissin' Kate Barlow robs Chicago Pacific.**

I read everything on the subject, finding the whole topic to be strange yet interesting. Did they ever catch her? Was she killed? Did they ever find the treasure still hidden away in the dried up lake? All of these questions flooded my mind, and seeing as there weren't anymore newspapers on the topic, I couldn't get any closure. I even searched in the history books and novels, but alas, nothing was there.

I glanced up at the clock. It was only six a.m, so I still had some time left until I needed to meet my father. I headed over toward the computers and quickly pulled up the Internet. As quickly as I could, I typed in _Kissin' Kate Barlow treasure_.

Few results popped up, but I found what I was looking for. A small article on some random website listed all the information I needed to know.

 _'Kissin' Kate Barlow reported dead.'_

 _'Was bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard and was pronounced dead on the scene.'_

 _'Her stolen treasure has yet to be discovered.'_

 _'Hundreds head down to Green Lake to try and dig up the loot, but only walk away with blistered hands and a dirty shovel.'_

 _'A few years ago, the dried up lake was turned into a criminal facility center for males under the age of eighteen called Camp Green Lake.'_

I quickly searched up Camp Green Lake and sighed lightly when even fewer results loaded. All I could find was that boys were sent there when they committed a crime too dangerous just to be let off with a fair warning (stealing, dealing, etc).

And suddenly, an idea popped into my head. It was risky and perilous, but I was desperate.

"You want to what?" my father shouted, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"What could it hurt? If it doesn't work out, then we know what will happen. It's better than just sitting around and doing nothing," I replied in a desperate and convincing tone. My father sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair, obviously conflicted.

"What if you get caught?"

I only rolled my eyes, pushing all of my blonde hair up underneath my backwards, dirtied baseball cap.

"I can pass as a boy, dad."

He stared at me for a moment, silently debating on what he should say. I quickly rearranged my hair back into its original state and sighed.

"I'm doing it, okay? All I have to do is go steal like a car or something."

"A car?" my father shouted.

"I'm not going to become a criminal. I'm doing this for us! All that will happen is that the judge will send me to Camp Green Lake and I can find the treasure. As long as I appear as a boy."

"What if you don't find it?"

"Then I don't find it. Please? At least it'll give us a chance."

It felt like years, until he finally slumped his shoulders and replied a grunted "Fine."

I fiddled with the hem of my oversized hoodie, glancing out the window at the deserted scenery.

Of course I was nervous. If I got caught, everything would be ruined. But it was better than just sitting around waiting for that man to find us.

The area looked disastrous. Holes scattered along the dirt, the sky was clear of any clouds - letting the sun shine down on everything in its sight.

The bus suddenly stopped and the police man yanked me up to my feet, forcing me down the stairs. I stumbled lightly once I hit the solid dirt while the humidity instantly hit my skin.

I already knew that this was going to be hard.

"Fresh meat!" someone called out, forcing me to glance up at a crowd of males gawking at me like I was a peacock. Some had evil smirks printed on their faces, others just looking like they were tired or uninterested.

The police man pushed me along, and in seconds, I was inside a raggedy, air conditioned building.

"Sit down," the officer ordered, standing by the door with his hands crossed over his front. I didn't hesitate on following his command. I slightly fidgeted with the handcuffs around my wrists, but my focus was quickly set on a man who was spitting out some sunflower seeds.

"Uh, hello," I greeted in a scruff tone, deeper than my usual voice. He squinted down at me, licking his dry lips as his cowboy boots clicked against the wooden floor.

"So, you're..." he started, glancing down at a clipboard in his hand, "JC Yelnats?"

I nodded.

"Well, Mr. Yelnats. My name is Mr. Sir. Whenever you speak to me, you will call me by my name. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Sir," I nodded again, making sure to appear serious even though his so called name amused me. Without noticing, the officer unlocked my handcuffs, releasing my red wrists.

"Follow me," Mr. Sir ordered, exiting the building quickly. I trailed behind him, fixing my baseball cap so it covered most of my hair. My hair was quite long, actually, so I had to cut most of it off so it wouldn't bulge out whenever I put it up. It ended below my ears, so even if my cap fell off, my hair would still appear boyish.

"Now. If you want to run away, just do it. I ain't stoppin' ya."

I furrowed my eyebrows at his statement, but quickly understood once I realized that there was nothing but desert for miles.

"If you want to go dry up in the desert, be my guest," he continued as we entered another building, this one being smaller but full of orange jumpsuits, boots, and other plain clothing.

Orientation was simple. I caught on quickly on what I was supposed to do. I received two sets of clothing, one for working and one for relaxation. I was meant to dig one hole each day, the measurements guided by the length of my shovel. I was supposed to be digging to build character, but I wasn't stupid. I did my research and I knew what they were looking for. Hopefully, I would find it before them. I was also told to beware of yellow spotted lizards, seeing as one bite could kill you instantly.

I was introduced to the counselor, Dr. Pendanski, a dorky man who wore too much sunscreen on his nose and a hat too big for his head. He seemed friendly, but even his cheerful smile and happy eyes made me feel odd.

"Now, you'll be staying in D-Tent," Dr. Pendanski nodded, giving me a tour of the whole place. I disliked being looked at when we passed by the other campers. I knew it was just because I was new, but for some reason, I felt like they knew I was a girl.

"That's the mess hall, cafeteria, rec room, showers," the counselor spoke, motioning to each building and room, not before describing what each area was for and all its details. He told me how to not upset the warden, and explained to me that it wasn't Mr. Sir after I thought it was. He told me how the showers had one knob for one temperature, cold. And how even though the food was distasteful, I'd get used to it.

"Aye, mom," a voice called out, making both of us glance toward three boys, "Who's the new kid?"

I shifted uncomfortably, but remained to appear careless with the whole situation.

"This is JC. He's going to be your new bunkmate," Dr. Pendanski smiled, the others only sighing and rolling their eyes, obviously not wanting my company.

"What about barf bag?" one of the boys asked.

I raised an eyebrow at the name - barf bag? Was that a nickname, and if so, why was he given it? _That's disgusting._

"Lewis won't be returning. He's still in the hospital," Dr. Pendanski replied in a concerned tone.

I wondered why he was in the hospital. Then again, it was probably best for me not to find out.

"JC, this is Rex, Alan, and Theodore," the counselor continued. I gave each boy a subtle, pursed smile, keeping quiet in an attempt to not set any of them off. I was in a male facility center. I wasn't stupid - most of them had probably done something horrible and had short tempers. I wasn't going to mess with any of them.

"Yo, my name's X-ray," started the boy in glasses, "That's squid, armpit, and that's mom." He pointed at Dr. Pendanski and I wanted to chuckle at his so called nickname. Probably because of his annoying motherly like vibe.

"They all have their little nicknames, but I prefer to use the names their parents gave them; the names society will recognize them by," Dr. Pendanski replied, rolling his eyes and scoffing lightly, "Theodore, why don't we show JC his cot?"

In a matter of seconds, I was inside the D-tent. On the way over, Dr. Pendanski explained that the D stood for diligence. The three others just groaned, probably annoyed at how positive he was. And if I was being honest, it was annoying me too.

I glanced around the tent. I wasn't happy with it's condition. It smelt like dirty feet and vomit. Also the humidity did nothing but make everything worse. Theodore lead me to my cot, and it's condition was horrible as well. At least I found out where the vomit smell was coming from. At that moment, two more boys walked in.

"Hey, I'm magnet," one boy introduced, pounding my fist in a very boyish manner before turning toward the other, "That's Zigzag."

'Zigzag' was freakishly tall, at least two feet taller than me at least. His hair was sticking out in every direction and his eyes were open wide as if he was surprised. He didn't say hello, only examined my appearance and then slowly walked toward his cot.

"And this is Zero," the counselor spoke, pointing toward a smaller boy laying in the corner, "You know why they call him zero? 'Cause there's nothing going on in his stupid little head."

I furrowed my eyebrows instantly at his bluntness. Dr. Pendanski ruffled his hands through the boy's hair, an evil smirk printed on his face. It was like he gained satisfaction from teasing a boy who was much younger and smaller than him. _How pathetic._ Zero instantly rolled over and I felt even more guilty for some odd reason.

"Did you tell him about the lizards?" Zigzag piped up, shifting his large eyes back and forth between me and the counselor. I examined him a bit more. He seemed either extremely paranoid or extremely hyper. I couldn't tell which.

"Now, Ricky. Let's not scare JC."

"His name's not Ricky. It's Zigzag, 'aight?" Rex scolded, now sitting down on his cot whilst glaring up at Dr. Pendanski.

Dr. Pendanski had made Theodore my 'guide', probably because he seemed like the most sensible one among the group. Once everyone had left for dinner, I stashed some tampons behind my cot, obviously for mother nature's present each month. It was quite hard smuggling them in. I first had them hidden in my jeans and went to transfer them into my jumpsuit pockets, but Mr. Sir immediately snatched them away.

 _"What are these?" he questioned with squinted eyes._

 _"There, uh, for my nose bleeds. I have them a lot, actually. If I don't carry those around just in case, I'll end up bleeding everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It's like Niagara Falls-"_

 _"Alright, alright," Mr. Sir insisted, cutting me off._

It was like he had never seen tampons before, and for that, I was lucky. I made sure to bring enough - I had to be sparse with them though. When I made the plan to come to Camp Green Lake, I made sure to take all the precautions of being a teen girl. I also knew that coming here would worsen my hygiene. I wouldn't be able to shave, properly bathe, etc, etc. But for my father, I had to do it.

I walked through the food line, pursing my lips at the brown liquid that was dripped onto my tray.

"Thank you," I nodded faintly, grasping my tray and walking toward the center of the cafeteria. As I was looking for somewhere to sit, I heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey, JC, come here, boy." I glanced over and seen that it was Ricky, sitting with all the others from D-tent. I shuffled over quickly, and as he scooted himself and his tray over, I squeezed in next to him and Magnet. Some of them were still in their orange jumpsuits, while others had tank tops on or just regular shirts.

I was very thankful that I was given a flat chest. Glancing around, I realized that I'd eventually be forced to just sport a white tank top. And even though for most of my life I hated my boy-like chest, right then, I was glad.

Before anyone could say anything, Rex had leaned up and snatched my bread off my tray. I furrowed my brows at the boy, confused as to why he would steal my food when he still had a full tray.

"You didn't dig today. So, Imma' take your bread. 'Aight?" he spoke, smirking lightly while I only nodded slowly in defeat. Once again, I didn't want to fight with any of them.

"So, what'd they get you for?" Squid asked with a full mouth. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and reached up to begin eating the suspicious soup set on my plate.

"I, uh, tried stealing a car," I confessed, eyes focused down on the food. I didn't feel comfortable talking to any of them. What if my voice gave away the fact that I was a girl? What if they noticed my neck and how it didn't have an Adam's apple? I didn't want to get close to any of them. I wasn't there to make friends. I was there to save my father's ass.

"Really?" Rex asked in a sarcastic tone, "How'd you get caught? Forgot to change gears?"

Most of the table laughed at the joke. It was probably unbelievable considering of my small frame and bony limbs. My appearance made it seem like I could do no harm. And even though I appeared that way, I had stolen a car to get myself into Camp Green Lake. While the table laughed, I glanced over at Ricky who was just staring intently at the side of my face. He wasn't even laughing, just staring, which made me even more uncomfortable.

"Actually, I drove it into a lake."

They all laughed even more while I relived the horrible flashback of me plunging the vehicle into the water and almost drowning. But luckily, the police dived in and yanked me out before I was completely underwater.

"What kinda' car was it? A bug? Nissan Juke?" Squid teased while chuckling.

"A Bugatti Veyron," I replied lightly.

They all fell silent as if I had just murdered a man.

"Yo, how'd you get your hands on that?" Squid asked.

"Yeah, that's like the fastest car ever," Theodore added.

"Expensive too," Magnet nodded.

"Did you hot wire it?" Rex questioned.

I chuckled softly at their rambling, the only two staying quiet being Ricky and Zero.

"I was, uh, walking down the street and it was just sitting there with the keys in the ignition," I spoke truthfully. I guess they all expected some extravagant criminal story, and once they were let down, they dropped the subject and began talking about non-important camp things that I didn't care enough about to listen to.

That night, I lied awake listening to the snores and sleep talking of the other campers. I didn't know what time it was, but it was late. I wish I could've gotten some peace and quiet, because if you're a light sleeper like me, every little sounds wakes you up. I knew I'd be tired in the morning. I also knew that pulling this whole thing off was going to be hard, but I didn't care.


	2. Torero

The sound of the camp alarm rang through my ears, making me groan and moan in response. I clearly didn't get enough sleep the night before. I tried dozing off again, but when Magnet mumbled a "Get up, JC," whilst patting my lower back, I growled lowly. I was in no condition to dig a hole in the blistering heat; but this is what I signed up for.

Me and the rest of the campers stumbled throughout the camp, appearing like a herd of cattle as we all got our shovel.

I wanted to punch Dr. Pendanski considering he was just yelling 'positive' and 'polite' things. I wasn't a morning person, and it was very noticeable. Once it was my turn to grab a shovel, I slowly took a random one and shuffled over to where everyone else was heading. I was already sweating.

After a long walk of silence, I found a good spot to dig away from everyone else. I couldn't forget my mission: find the treasure before anyone else. I quickly began digging, and when about an hour passed and the sun began rising, I wanted to pass over and die.

My arms were too weak to be constantly picking up dirt and throwing it over my shoulder. My hands were too tinder to continuously grasp onto the shovel without gloves. My hole wasn't even half way finished. I was hot, sweaty, smelly as well - and it was only my first day. Oh, how I was looking forward to the next three months (or eighteen if I failed to find the treasure and was forced to actually stay at Camp Green Lake).

I also remembered Mr. Sir's words about how if I found anything, I should show it to him and get the day off.

 _Ha._

If I found anything, I'd just keep it in my pocket and keep digging. Although the sound of having the whole day off sounded lovely, I couldn't risk sabotaging my whole plan.

I glanced around at the other diggers, seeing some more than half way done with their holes while others seemed to be taking a break. It was obvious that they were all hot considering most of them were only wearing a tank top while their jumpsuit sleeves were wrapped around their waist. And even in my dehydrated and tired state, I still couldn't deny that they all were attractive when working.

I couldn't help it. I'm a girl. A girl who thinks working men in revealing clothes is attractive. I just had to keep that urge under control.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Squid called out in his country accent, making me snap out of my thoughts. I then realized that I had been gawking at all of them, but luckily, I was quick on my feet when it came to lying.

"Sorry," I replied back, squinting up at the sun and wiping some sweat off my forehead, "I was thinking."

"About what?" Theodore asked, leaning onto the edge of his hole with an exhausted sigh.

"Uh, I was thinking... why the hell does Pendanski wear so much sunscreen on his nose," I quickly shot back in a casual tone. I smiled lightly when I heard some of them chuckle, happy that they didn't think I was weird or awkward.

Right at that moment, I heard a vehicle pull up and almost everyone climbed out of their holes. I glanced back and seen it was the water truck. Mr. Sir stepped out of the truck, making the loud country music stop from inside the vehicle.

"Gather 'round, Girl Scouts!" he hollered in a teasing tone.

Everyone ignored him, filing into a line as they prepared their water jugs. Since I was so short and had barely any arm strength, I was the last one to get out of my hole.

"Here," I heard someone say, glancing up to see Zero extending a hand toward me. I sent him a grateful smile and took it without hesitation, and for a small boy, he pulled me out quite easily.

"Thanks," I spoke in a friendly tone, but he only nodded and turned to get into the line. I shuffled up behind him, rearranging my hat so it was backwards with all my stray hairs pushed up underneath it.

"How's your hands, JC?" Mr. Sir questioned as he filled up Rex's canteen.

"Blistered," I replied unenthusiastically. I glanced down at the sores on my hands, cringing at how raw they looked and how painful they'd be later on.

"First holes the hardest," Magnet piped up, followed by several "yeahs" and "true thats." Except for Rex, who only replied with "The second hole is always the hardest. Think you're sore now? Wait 'till tomorrow."

His statement made me both shiver and cringe at the same time.

I chugged from the remaining water in my canteen, watching as the line shortened and each camper went back to their holes. Finally, it was my turn.

"You liking Camp Green Lake?" Mr. Sir asked, obviously knowing that I didn't.

"Yeah, everyone's been pretty nice," I nodded, wanting him to fill my canteen so I could go back to digging. Of course what I said was a lie. Mostly everyone was quite harsh and rude, none of them had any manners.

Yesterday after dinner, someone shoved me, forcing me to drop my tray and fall to the floor. Mostly everyone laughed but nobody offered to help me up. When I asked Theodore where I could personally fill up my water, he put me in a headlock and told me that his name wasn't Theodore - "It's Armpit." In the rec. room, nobody would let me join the pool games or any conversations that seemed interesting. The only person that showed kindness was Zero, and all he did was help me out of my hole.

"You'll get used to it." Mr. Sir lazily said, seeing right through my lie. He then screwed the cap back onto my jug and handed me the item.

"Yeah," was all I managed to get out, taking my canteen and shuffling back to my hole.

I leaned against the wall of my hole and took a giant swig from the fresh, clean water, wanting to finish digging so I could go back and shower before anyone else could. The night before, I showered and was constantly on edge. I was afraid someone would walk in and decide to shower next to me and figure out I was a girl by the lack of male parts I had. I was also concerned about the four minute water timer. Four minutes was only enough time to wash my hair, not mentioning rinsing myself off or washing my body. But with my shorter hair, it was easier, and I decided on showering in the oversized boxers given to me along with the jumpsuits - just in case.

"Damn, JC," Squid spoke, walking past my hole, "Thought you'd be a slow digger. Guess not." He chuckled softly at his own comment and went over to talk to Zigzag. Like I said, I wanted to be able to shower before anyone else. I also wanted to be the one to find the treasure before anyone else did. And even though my hands were completely raw and my arms were like jello, I continued digging as fast as I could.

Eventually, another truck came signaling it was lunch time. Instead of Mr. Sir, it was Dr. Pendanski. The dorky man filled up everyone's canteen, and that's when I noticed that everyone had a specific position in line.

Rex was in the front, then Theodore, Alan, Ricky, José, Zero, and then me. I wondered why Rex was in the front. Ever since I arrived at Camp Green Lake, I noticed that everyone treated him like the leader. He got the shortest shovel, first spot in the line. But why? He definitely wasn't the tallest or strongest. And it seemed like he had extremely bad eye sight from his glasses and the way he had to look at things close up to identify what they were. If anyone was the leader, I would have voted on Theodore or Alan. But maybe he did something to earn everyone's respect. I just didn't know what.

I noticed Alan sneaking passed Dr. Pendanski with a hand full of gram crackers. I chuckled softly at the man's ignorance. Mr. Sir said that digging holes gave the boys character. And that if you put a bad boy out in the heat all day, it'll make him a good boy. But I disagreed. I didn't know how long everyone had been at camp, but they all seemed to make no progress on becoming a better person. They all seemed to continue lying, cheating, fighting - no progress was noticeable.

"How far along are you with your hole?" Dr. Pendanski asked.

I gave the counselor my jug just as I gathered up some food and took my canteen back.

"About three feet," I replied back lazily, not in the mood for conversation with a man too happy for his own good. My hands were sore all over; the blisters covering my fingers would only become raw and create new ones. I couldn't feel my legs or arms. They only felt like jello and whenever I tried picking some dirt up with my shovel, my knees would buckle and felt as if I was going to faint. Or better yet, puke. But I couldn't do that. I didn't want the nickname 'barf bag.'

"Well, you better hurry up. You don't want to be out here during the hottest part of the day," he replied as I scuffled away carelessly with my food and canteen in hand.

I glanced around at all the campers. Zero was still digging away - he seemed to be almost done with his hole. Magnet was leaning on his shovel, telling a 'funny' story about how a dog ate one of his gram crackers and puked it back up all over his pants. He said "Now I can't eat crackers without gagging." Mostly everyone else was taking a break and eating their food, I as well.

I sat on the edge of my hole and took a quick swig from my canteen before biting into my sandwich that tasted of canned bologna and melted cheese. It wasn't any five-star restaurant food, but it was better than the soggy cereal I had eaten earlier that morning.

"JC," Squid stated slowly, looking at me with fear in his eyes, "Do not move." He spoke calmly in a quiet tone, but even his soft voice put me on edge.

"What?" I asked after furrowing my eyebrows. Was there a scorpion on me? A spider? Were they just pranking me?

"There is a-"

"Holy shit! A yellow-spotted lizard!" Rex shouted, cutting Squid off and scaring everyone near us. I quickly turned around and spotted the reptile sitting there. I suppose that X-ray's voice set him off considering he instantly started charging at me.

I could hear the other campers struggling to get out of their holes and sliding against the dirt. I'm pretty sure I saw Theodore jump out of his hole, only to fall back in from loss of balance out of the corner of my eye. I focused back on the lizard, and as it leapt into the air to land on me, I quickly rolled out of the way and watched it as it landed in my hole. As quickly as I could, I pushed myself to my feet and began running over to where Zigzag was, near the water truck.

I was glad Dr. Pendanski hadn't left yet, considering he heard the commotion and ended up shooting the lizard with his shotgun after the reptile hopped back out of the hole in the pursuit of food. Of course the first few shots were a miss, but eventually he got it. Guards from other sections hurried over with their gun in hand, probably thinking that one of the campers shot someone. But once they saw Dr. Pendanski and a dead yellow-spotted lizard, they all went back to their posts.

"The hell? That's the second one this week!" Theodore groaned, still in his hole.

All of us slowly walked back to our holes, me being the slowest considering I was exhausted and that short sprint from my hole to the water truck wore my legs out.

"Did you see JC, though?" Rex laughed.

"Jumped outta' the way like a fucking bullfighter," José added, chuckling even louder. I guess it was more funny than I thought, since mostly everyone except for Zero and I started laughing. I was too tired to exert energy on laughing.

Zigzag and I walked along side each other - him probably being just as tired as me from the slowness of his pace.

"That was a close one," I breathed out, hoping to end the awkward silence between us two. I had the chance to talk to mostly everyone, or hold a steady conversation with them. Ricky and Zero were the only two who I hadn't talked to. And Zero just didn't talk - or liked talking. I didn't know.

"You could've died right then and there," Zigzag finally replied, his wide eyes set on the desert far beyond the camp, "You just kicked death in the nuts."

I let a small giggle escape my lips at his statement, finding it amusing at how serious he was when saying something so dumb. He only glanced down at me, and once we locked eyes, I quickly cleared my throat to stop my girlish laughter.

"You got a girly ass laugh," he spoke bluntly, moving his eyes away and focusing back on the land. I cringed instantly.

"Runs in the family," I responded casually in a deep tone, finally reaching my hole. Ricky didn't reply, he only kept walking until he was at his hole as well.

I sighed and glanced down, realizing how much more I had left to dig out. With the help of my shovel, I jumped down and bit my lip at the pain shooting up my legs and back. And even though I was about to puke, I continued digging.

Zero was the first one to finish his hole, then Rex and Alan. Each time one finished, they would spit into their hole. Why? I didn't know. Maybe to mark their territory or something.

Luckily, I was the forth one to be done. It seemed to surprise everyone; the ones left talking about how the new campers usually didn't finish until after four, and that they didn't know how a newbie could beat them at their 'own game.'

I knew that I was going to be sore the next day. I worked myself too hard and didn't even find anything. My hands were stinging, my back was aching. I knew that once I woke up the next morning, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed without some assistance. Instead of pacing myself, I rushed through it - the most idiotic thing to do.

I somehow pulled myself out of my hole, and with a low groan, I stood up straight with my shovel in hand. I did spit in my hole, though. All eyes were on me and I didn't want them to think I was disrespecting their 'ritual' or whatever. I dragged myself back to camp, placing my shovel into the storage unit labeled Library before slowly heading to D-tent. I snatched my towel and some underwear along with my relaxation jumpsuit. Not to raise any suspicions, I was forced to wear men's underwear. Luckily, I was given boxers since briefs were most likely too saggy for my liking. I carried the clothing to the showers and after doing a quick scan to make sure nobody was there, I began undressing myself.

Now, I did keep my boxers on. I planned to do that forever, just in case someone came in or accidentally saw. I wasn't worried if anyone saw my chest, since like I said before, my chest was identical to a guys. This was the only time that my flatness seemed to come in handy.

I quickly washed my hair and then my body - feeling lucky that I pulled my boxers back up right when Theodore and Alan walked in.

"Aye, yo! Torero!" Theodore greeted, walking up to the shower about a spot away, Alan doing the same thing.

"Torero?" I repeated in a confused tone, but got no response since they both started their showers.

Maybe Torero was my new nickname. They did call me a bullfighter back when that lizard tried jumping on me.

That's when my water shut off, but I wasn't angry. I was able to clean everything just in time. I took my towel and wrapped it around my body, walking passed Alan and Theodore while making sure not to glance down at their private areas - even though I was curious.

I walked into the recreational room and glanced around. The pain in my hands eased up since I was able to wash them off, but the pain in my body was only getting worse and worse.

"Torero!" Rex shouted.

I focused on him and the rest of those from D-tent, and slowly made my way over. It was obvious that they knew I was sore from their low laughs and chuckles.

"Work yourself too hard?" Squid teased, nudging my shoulder which only made me wince.

"Just a bit," I replied back lightly.

I then turned and headed toward the sofa, and after I carefully placed myself onto the soft cushion, I realized that Ricky was sitting next to me.

"Hey," I greeted casually. The boy acted as if he was ignoring me, but finally dragged his eyes away from the television after a few seconds of silence.

"What?" he asked, eyes wide and hair looking like he had just been electrocuted - like usual. I wondered how his hair was able to just stand up on it's own without any hair products.

"Nothing," I shrugged, "Whatcha' watching?"

"The Simpsons."

I looked over at the television and furrowed my eyebrows. The screen showed nothing but static and all you could hear was muffled talking. Although I was confused, I didn't ask him anymore questions since I didn't want to disturb him. Instead, I just sat there and 'watched' the show with him. I was too exhausted and sore to do anything else, so sitting on a comfortable couch while doing nothing seemed luxurious.

I noticed that Ricky never reacted to what was said or portrayed on the TV. Whenever I could make out something amusing said by Homer or Bart, I would chuckle softly - but he would only stare.

I sat on my cot, hat on the railing of my bed while I was only dressed in a white tank top and some oversized boxers. It was scary on how boyish my body was, but also very beneficial. All the others were in the same clothes as me and were talking or joking around.

"Aye, Torero, how's your hands?" Rex asked from across the tent. I glanced over at him before looking down at my red and scabbed over hands.

"Gross," I replied lazily. I always thought wounds and scabs were disgusting, now my hands were full of them. But they'd eventually callus over like Mr. Sir said.

"Make sure you get some gloves tomorrow," Magnet nodded.

"Gloves? I didn't know we had gloves!" I exclaimed. They all just laughed at my stressed attitude.

I fell back onto my bed and sighed lightly. This was only my first actual day. Just seventy-seven left.

 _Hopefully I find that treasure so I don't have to stay here the whole eighteen months. I don't think I'll be able to handle it._


	3. Scorpion

**Author's Note:**

 **So, I know that the story is kind of moving along slowly but I'm trying to not rush anything and actually create character and friendships between JC and everyone before the main drama happens. Hopefully in the next chapter or two, everything will get more interesting! (-:**

X-Ray was right. The second hole was the hardest.

Even with the gloves covering my blistered hands, the pain was unbearable and the heat was more humid than the day before.

"You know why it's been gettin' so hot?" Theodore asked aloud in one heavy breath. All the others paused and glanced at him, wanting him to go on with the answer. "Global warming."

"Yo! Shut up, man!" Rex replied, shaking his head while Squid and Magnet laughed.

"It's true! The temperature of the earth's atmosphere is increasin' cause of the greenhouse effect," Theodore continued but everyone still laughed and teased him.

"You don't even know what the greenhouse effect is, man," Squid spoke, his voice slightly muffled from the piece of wood in his mouth.

I found it amusing how Alan always had something in his mouth. Maybe it was a bad habit - or maybe it was an antidote for another bad habit; like smoking or chewing tobacco.

I leaned against the side of my hole, realizing that I still had about three more feet to go. I was trying to take it slow this time. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't rush like the day before.

"Man, Torero is out," Theodore teased, noticing my tired and sore state, "He'll be out here 'till sun down."

I wiped the sweat off from my forehead and took my cap off. My hair was stuck up in every single direction, probably resembling something like Ricky's hair.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked lazily, stepping out of my hole.

"Any hole you choose," Magnet replied with a smug smile. I only rolled my eyes and sighed. I didn't want to risk peeing in front of them, so I made sure to choose a hole pretty far off from all the other diggers.

"Make sure you check 'em first! Don't want no lizards biting you!" Magnet called out as I walked farther and farther away.

"Yo! Afraid we'll look?" Armpit teased.

"Gotta' tiny dick or something?" X-Ray laughed.

I shrugged off their jokes considering I didn't really mind. All I cared about in that moment was releasing my bladder. I also cared about the fact that there was no toilet paper.

As I finished up peeing and was in the process of tugging up my jumpsuit, I'd seen a shadow lurking over the hole I was in. Quickly, I pulled my suit on all the way and turned around with furrowed eyebrows.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed. _Did they like watching others piss?_ My blue eyes glanced up to see who it was, and when I realized it was Ricky, I was even more confused. "Why are you watching me pee?" I asked, trying to pull myself out of the hole without stepping in the freshly urinated area.

"Why'd you piss in a hole so far away from everyone else?" he shot back, his eyes wide, scanning me up and down - the hole as well.

"I like my privacy," I said in a confused tone. I walked past him, buttoning up my jumpsuit and pulling my gloves back onto my hands.

 _Shit._ Maybe he had figured out that I was a girl. Maybe he saw me in the showers or found the tampons behind my bed. _Wow, good going Jennifer. You can't even be undercover for two days without someone finding out._

"Ya' sure you ain't just plantin' cameras down? Or radioactive lizards?" he asked, following behind me which casted a nice, tall shadow for me to walk in.

"What?" I asked in an even more confused tone than earlier, "Radioactive lizards?"

"Ignore Ziggy. He's into all that 'the government is evil' type shit," Theodore called out, obviously listening in on our conversation.

My tense shoulders immediately slumped. So, he didn't think I was a girl, but a federal government agent who was planting cameras and radioactive lizards in their holes. _Nice._

"JC! Glad you're here. Sit down," Dr. Pendanski smiled as I returned from the shower. I was taken back from the counselor being in our tent and how everyone was sitting in a circle. There was an open seat between Zero and Ricky, so I slowly made my way over and sat down easily.

My body was still sore - insanely sore, if you will.

"We were just talking about why we were sent to Camp Green Lake, and how we could manage to make our lives better once let out," Dr. Pendanski said. It was strange not seeing him in a giant sun hat with sunscreen on his nose, to be honest. I nodded in acknowledgment and leaned back into my chair.

I learned from that night's 'counseling session' why each individual was sent to camp.

Theodore was sent for beating up two older boys at a movie theater over a bucket of popcorn. Everyone laughed, including me and even Zero when he told the story. It was definitely like Armpit to punch someone over some food.

José was sent for stealing a dog from a pet store. He said that they wanted a thousand dollars for one puppy, and that he would have gotten away with it if his pocket didn't start barking.

Alan was sent for skipping school and breaking into homes, only to steal loose change and soda. I didn't know why he would steal only loose change and pop. He could've stolen much more valuable things like a television or jewelry. I guess he wasn't as much of a criminal as most people thought he was.

Rex was sent for selling bags of dry herbs to people who thought they were buying marijuana. He said, "I shouldn't have gotten in trouble for other people's stupid ass minds." Then was quickly scolded by Dr. Pendanski for using foul language.

Ricky was sent for setting a piece of styrofoam on fire in his school yard. The flames got out of control and ended up burning down one of the portables. When he was talking, he leaned forward and shifted his eyes around quickly. From the two days I knew him, and from what Theodore told me earlier that day, he had some sort of paranoia issue.

When it was Zero's turn, he said nothing. He only sat with his arms crossed and stared at the ground. I wondered if he was mute, but then remembered him helping me out of my hole the day before. He probably just had social anxiety and didn't like talking in front of others.

"You just won't talk to me, will you?" Dr. Pendanski said, a small smirk playing on his face, "You think you're better than all this?"

Zero finally looked up, but only glared. And if looks could kill, the counselor would have been dead right then and there. It was silent. Dr. Pendanski wasn't saying anything, neither was Zero. They were just having their own personal stare off. Ricky was smirking lightly, looking back and forth between the two. And with his wild hair and wide eyes, he looked like a mad scientist. I grew uncomfortable with the situation quickly, and instead of letting it grow more awkward, I piped up.

"I was sent here for joyriding," I spoke. Instantly, all eyes were on me as if they weren't expecting someone to say anything. I glanced at Zero, but all he did was shift his gaze from me back to the ground. "You know, it was a nice car. Couldn't keep my hands to myself." I tried speaking in a cocky and tough tone, but I guaranteed they all knew I was just trying to ease the tension and give Zero some room to breathe.

"Dumbass ended up driving the car into a lake," Rex commented with a witty smile.

"Dumbass ended up driving a Bugatti Veyron into a lake," Alan corrected.

"I still can't get over that," Theodore sighed. Mostly everyone was laughing now and the situation was free from all previous tension.

"I don't know 'bout you guys, but I'm tired," I yawned. I wasn't tired, I just wanted Dr. Pendanski out of our tent. In seconds, the counselor was hurried out. I let out a relaxed sigh and turned around.

"I'm not really tired," I nodded with a small smile, watching as the rest of the boys started chuckling softly.

"He doesn't know when to shut up," Squid teased.

I was honestly glad that everyone had warmed up to me nicely. Of course they would still shove me around and tease me for being the 'new kid' - but I got used to it. At least they laughed at my jokes and didn't ignore me when I tried talking to them.

I glanced over at Zero. He was laying in his cot, back to everyone like the first day I'd met him. I didn't try talking to him. I didn't want to bother or annoy him with questions or conversation he didn't want to be apart of.

I plopped down onto my cot and ran a quick hand through my messy, blonde hair. I still hadn't gotten used to how short it was. I laid on my back and stared up at the ceiling, listening to everyone converse about things that didn't exactly matter. Like who lost their virginity first. And how Alan tried smuggling in a pile of junk food, only to have it confiscated by Mr. Sir a day later. I was actually beginning to grow tired until I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Quickly, I turned my head. A scorpion was on my pillow.

With a loud shriek, I jumped out of bed and hurdled toward the back of the tent. With my luck, I ended up tripping over Alan's cot and landing on Ricky.

"What the hell?" Rex exclaimed, standing to his feet. I probably scared everyone with my sudden scream.

"There's a scorpion on my bed!" I shouted back. I thought someone would go over to try and capture it, but once the word scorpion escaped my lips, everyone stood up quickly and stared at my bed in fear. The scorpion was still resting on my pillow, not moving - which I was glad. I didn't want it nesting in my blankets and laying eggs (or however scorpions reproduced). I still laid on Ricky, me practically sitting on his lap while his large blue eyes scanned over my bed. I was happy that he didn't shove me off. It seemed like he didn't care, or even notice, that I was on top of him.

Luckily, one of the guards heard the commotion and came inside. We all continued standing in the corner of the room, not even risking the sting of a scorpion. Eventually, they caught the animal in a small box and exited soon after.

I slowly stood up from Ricky, tired and slightly scared that there might have been another dangerous animal hidden in my bed.

"Yo, Torero screams like a girl," Magnet stated, laughing afterwards. I only shrugged with red cheeks, not really knowing a valid, realistic excuse.

"He jumped in Ziggy's lap like fuckin' Scooby Doo and Shaggy," Rex chuckled, his comment making the rest of the boys join in as well.

"Should've heard him yesterday. Laughs like a girl too," Ricky teased with the same small smirk that was usually planted on his face. The whole tent was filled with laughter and jokes specifically aimed at me 'acting' like a girl. I would be lying if I'd said I wasn't embarrassed, because I was.

I shrugged my shoulders and laughed weakly, acting as if it was just my normal, everyday behavior. I trudged over to my bed and fell back onto the hard mattress. My body still ached, not as bad as the day before, but still enough to make me wince every time I moved around. The boys soon dropped the jokes and all went to bed. Theodore was out quickly, meaning his loud snoring from the next cot kept me up the whole night.


	4. Showers

Once I noticed that X-ray had always gotten the 'better deals' at camp, I realized that he was the leader. Like I said before, he wasn't the tallest or the strongest, and his vision had definitely lowered him on the intimidating scale. But I quickly learned that he got around by his confidence and his smile. X-Ray had the kind of smile that kept you from hating him no matter how annoying he was. When he smiled, it made you feel like everything was going to be alright. And he was always cool, even while digging in the hot sun. He didn't need to be tough. He had Squid and Armpit by his side. They would do his dirty work if necessary, but it was hardly ever necessary. It seemed like everyone wanted to stay on X-Ray's good side. Even me. He would do things for you - get you an extra piece of bread or a clean pair of socks. Of course, X-Ray never did anything for anybody unless he got something for himself too. Like the fifth day I was at Camp Green Lake; he somehow saved Zigzag from getting into a fight with the B-tent boys and got everyone in the D-tent an extra carton of orange juice.

I also learned how Alan got his nickname; he loved talking about marine biology. And I know he was most likely given his name for his 'sticky' hands which resembled squid-like tentacles, but I liked to think it was because of his interest in the ocean. The first week I was at Camp Green Lake, he would only talk to me when it included jokes or harassment, and would always tease me for flinching or being too slow (sometimes even too fast) when digging. But eventually, when we were alone in our tent before dinner, he picked up a rubber octopus from his crate and started chuckling. After I asked him what he was laughing at, he went into a long spill about how he always wanted to study marine biology once he got out of camp. And how his favorite animal was an octopus. But once the dinner bell rang, he threatened me; saying that if I told anyone he would personally "shove my head up my ass." Even after that day though, he would still ramble on about the ocean and sea life when we were alone.

I learned much more about all the other campers too. Like how Theodore kept a catchers mitt in his crate since baseball had always been his favorite sport. And how José wanted to be a veterinarian when he 'escaped' from camp, even though I told him that they most likely wouldn't hire an ex-convict who didn't serve his whole time at Green Lake. Zero started talking to me more and more each day, but still, I barely knew anything about him. He told me that his name was actually Hector and that he didn't talk because he "didn't like answering stupid questions."

Ricky, however, was a whole bag of tricks. In his crate, he always kept a TV guide dating back to March 1999. He read it constantly, and when he flipped to the last page, he would start it all over. If someone asked him what was playing on TV at 4:00 P.M on that exact day, he'd definitely be able to tell them with no hassle. He also always knew what day of the week it was - probably because of his TV schedule. "Supply trucks comin', it's been two weeks," he would say. It was nice to actually know what day it was instead of wandering around as if you were in some time warp. But when he wasn't reading or telling us what day it was, he was placed in front of the television watching the static and blurred screen. He'd sit there all day, even if the audio was too muffled to make out what was being said or if the screen was completely black and white. He'd just sit and stare. I learned that nobody would mess with him while he was watching TV. It was like the television was his lifeline - and you should never try and cut someone's lifeline.

One time, he was in his usual spot on the sofa when a boy from E-tent plopped down next to him. Minutes passed and the boy continuously laughed loudly and nudged Ricky multiple times. Ricky hated being touched as well, and never showed reaction to what he was watching. It was just how he was. He ignored Easy, trying to enjoy the relaxation time he had after digging in the hot sun all day. Eventually, the boy went to change the channel but Ricky stopped him, telling him that he was there first. Instantly, the two started bickering back and forth and campers from other tents began to get involved.

"Show him how it's done, Easy!"

"Ziggy's always hoggin' the TV set!"

"Change the channel!"

Me and the others hurried to the scene, only to see that Easy had his hand on the television knob. As he smirked lightly and went to turn the channel, Ricky quickly grabbed his hand and stopped him from dialing the knob. In a dangerously quiet voice, he said, "I'm not done watching it."

Now, Ricky didn't seem particularly threatening. He was just that one tall, skinny boy with crazy hair and paranoia issues. But Easy knew better than to mess with the ones who were 'crazy.' I could see Easy's eyes dart back and forth between his tent mates and the wide-eyed boy grasping his hand tightly, contemplating on what he should've done next. I could tell he was about to drop the issue, but his friends hollering from the back of the rec. room urged him on.

"Back off, asshole. I don't care - I wanna' watch somethin' else," he spat, going to turn the knob. But before he could, Ricky squeezed his hand even harder to keep him from changing the channel. It was quiet for a few seconds, then a shriek from Easy echoed throughout the room. He yanked his hand back and stepped away.

"You're crazy!" he shouted. On his hand, the dialing knob was clearly imprinted into his palm from where Ricky had squeezed his hand so hard. The numbers even had some blood oozing out of them. Easy held his hand and quickly left the rec. room, his other tent mates following behind him. Later that day, when his counselor asked him what had happened to his hand, he said he'd bashed it on the tent door.

I learned that at Camp Green Lake, you didn't snitch. So after every fight and wound, the campers would blame the tent door, even though the door were just flaps of fabric.

I took a bite out of the syrup-covered tortilla, my shovel propped up against my shoulder as I walked alone. Mostly everyone was ahead of me since I was walking so slowly.

I was exhausted. But I realized that I'd be exhausted everyday, no matter how much rest I got or how much water I drank. It was just a feeling I had to get used to.

"Yall' ready to dig?" Rex asked in a teasing tone, obviously knowing the answer. The rest just groaned or remained silent and continued walking until they were at the spot where they were going to dig.

It was the same process everyday. I'd dig for a while then grow tired and lean against the wall of my hole. The others would pick fun at me, especially Squid and Rex, and Ricky would try watching me pee in case I was planting 'cameras and microphones' down into their holes. The water truck came and Mr. Sir continued repeating "This ain't the Girl Scouts." while Dr. Pendanski would try creating conversation with each camper during lunchtime. Hector was always the first one to finish, Rex or Alan usually coming in second.

After finishing my hole, I spat in it, picked up my shovel and canteen, and sluggishly walked back to camp. After about three minutes of walking, I realized that Ricky had been trailing behind me.

"How long have you been there?" I asked after glancing over my shoulder, only to focus back on the ground in front of me. I had to make sure not to fall or trip on any of the rocks or sunken in holes. I had done that several times the first week I was at Camp Green Lake and about snapped my ankle in half each time.

"Since you got done diggin'," he replied casually. His hair was a mess, like usual, but had dirt caked into the strands. He squinted down at the ground, probably trying to avoid tripping like me or just wanting to shade his eyes from the sun. I slowed down my pace and waited until he caught up with me, then continued to walk once we were side by side.

I had to admit, Ricky was cute. I mean, when he wasn't suspecting me as a Russian Spy or teasing me for the way I laughed. I clenched my jaw and swallowed, hoping that the feeling was just because of my dehydrated and tired state.

"Question," I spoke suddenly, noticing him quickly glance up and stare at the side of my face, "Does the Warden ever come out of his cabin?" I looked over at him with furrowed eyebrows but all he did was chuckle softly.

"For one, he's a she."

I widened my eyes.

"Really? But everyone always acts so afraid of 'em. Like they're really mean and scary or something."

"Girls can be mean and scary too - especially the Warden. I've only seen her 'bout once or twice since I got here. She never leaves her cabin unless there's a fight or someone finds somethin'," he explained, occasionally glancing up to see how far we had left until we reached the camp.

I suddenly remembered what I had came there for. I probably had forgotten my original plan after the fourth day. Digging holes really messed with your mind.

"Well then, hope I don't have to meet her," I nodded with a pursed smile. Ricky didn't reply. Instead, we just walked in silence for the rest of the time. Once we reached the camp, he chucked his shovel over into the pile near the library. I strayed from his side and picked up his dirty shovel, walking back to the library and placing both mine and his inside of the shack.

 _Just to make it easier on whoever is cleaning up those shovels._

I quickly headed back to our tent. I needed to take a shower and since it was clothes-washing day, my work clothes smelt like garbage. Even my relaxation suit began to smell. Maybe because Squid 'accidentally' spilt his beans onto my chest during dinner the day before.

I opened the flaps of the tent and entered, quickly heading for my crate, which was next to my bed, and grabbing some clothes for me to change into.

I grasped my shower token as I began undressing myself, keeping my boxers on like usual. After the first few minutes of my shower, I pulled down my undergarments to rinse off.

"Aye, Torero!" a voice shouted.

I immediately stood up and focused on who it was, not even thinking to pull my trousers back up.

 _Shit. I just blew it._

It was Rex. But he didn't have his glasses on.

 _Shit. Maybe I didn't just blow it._

As he grew closer, I noticed that he had a towel slung over his shoulder along with his extra clothing. I quickly tugged on my boxers, praying to God that his vision was as bad as I had made it out to be.

"Ya' hands finally all heeled up?" he asked casually, standing underneath the shower head two spots away from me.

I was glad that they never showered near me. They pretty much always showered with gaps between them - no matter who it was.

"Y-yeah. Yeah," I stuttered, still in shock that I had almost blown my cover. I sighed happily when the water stopped coming out of my pipe. "The gloves work nicely."

I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around myself before quickly exiting the shower area. "See ya' X!" I called back.

I honestly needed to be more careful. If that wasn't Rex and one of the other campers with better vision, everything I'd worked for in the past two weeks would have been wasted. I was not about to just let those days go to waste. My body was still sore and my tastebuds were shot from all of the horrible food. I was going to make this last.

I trudged along with my tray in hand, heading for the table where D-tent always sat.

"You're never gonna' get outta' here, man. How're you gonna' jump on a moving truck?" Theodore asked, shaking his head as Ricky set his elbows onto the table counter.

"It's no problemo, alright? You see, I'll be down at the drainage ditch and the supply truck moves right over it," the blonde explained, just as I sat down between him and Magnet, "And boom. I'm on my way to freedom. See now, when you boys are diggin' holes, I'll be sittin' on the beach - a babe on each side."

A playful smirk crept onto his face as all the others laughed and nudged him. I only rolled my eyes and began gnawing on my piece of bread. I couldn't tell if it was just jealousy or annoyance from working out in the sun all day - but his 'babe' comment ticked me off. Theodore pounded his fist just as I heard Magnet say, "Lemme' guess. Your aunt and your grandmother, huh?" Everyone laughed even harder, including me, and Ricky just smiled and shook his head.

"What 'bout you, Torero?" Squid asked, his voice clearly audible since there wasn't a piece of wood stuck between his teeth. I glanced up from my beans and raised my eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"You got any fine ladies waitin' for you back home?"

I heard several chuckles erupt from the table before Rex laughed out a "Probs' not."

This time, I didn't know if it was just cockiness or the fact that Ricky laughed and agreed with Rex as if I wasn't attractive enough to get a 'girlfriend' - but I couldn't help but retaliate back.

"I do, actually," I nodded in an arrogant tone after shoving a spoonful of beans into my mouth. The laughs silenced and Theodore said, "Dog, for real."

"I do." I swallowed the food and wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my jumpsuit. I placed my hands on my knees and leaned up, looking around at each person at the table. Ricky was doing the same thing he did on the first day I arrived, which was stare intently at the side of my face.

"What she like then? What's her name?" Rex asked in a tone that meant 'you're lying.'

"Well," I started, in a short breathe, "Her name's Jennifer, she's short-"

"Shorter than you?" Magnet piped up, his joke earning a roar of laughter. I sent them all a sarcastic smile that only lasted about one second before I continued to describe my imaginary girlfriend.

"She got long blonde hair, big eyes. You know, the usual."

"She got a nice ass?" Theodore asked casually. Rex nudged him with a smirk, probably happy that he asked the question.

"Oh, yeah," I nodded in an arrogant tone, even though I wanted to roll my eyes and scold them for being so perverted, "But an even nicer personality."

They all groaned at my comment but I only laughed. I hated it when men viewed women as sexual objects. And these particular men hadn't even seen a woman in God knows how long.


	5. Letter

I sat on the steps leading up to the recreational room with Hector and watched some of the boys play basketball. It wasn't even a proper game since there was no cement pad to play on and the hoop was just a ten foot tall stick with a circular rim made out of wire. But really, anything besides digging was considered fun at Camp Green Lake.

It was X-Ray, Armpit, and Zigzag verses Freckles, Gremlin, and Blaze - three boys who were from B-Tent. D-tent was winning by three points, and I could see why since Ricky was the tallest of the bunch and Theodore was the best at blocking.

The only reason Ricky wasn't inside watching the television was because Theodore accidentally broke it.

 _"Quit touchin' it!" Ricky exclaimed, sitting right in front of the screen as he shooed Theodore's hand away._

 _"I'm trynna' fix it!" the boy replied back. He reached down to turn the knob but only tore it off from the device._

 _"Look! Ya' broke it!" Ricky shouted, taking his hand and slamming it a few times up against the side of the TV._

Dr. Pendanski said that they would have it fixed that day, but we all knew it would be at least two or three days until the television was back to its almost manageable state.

"Foul," Blaze announced, making all three of the D-tent boys stop and look at him in confusion.

"There was no foul," Rex spat.

"Zigzag tripped me," he replied in a defensive manner.

"No, I didn't! I was on the other side of the court!" Ricky exclaimed with furrowed eyebrows.

I chuckled softly and shook my head as the six boys began arguing over the supposed foul play. I glanced over to Hector who just rolled his eyes as if saying "You got to be kidding me." I then stood to my feet and dusted off my bum (not that it made any difference to my dirt-covered jumpsuit). I needed to write a letter to my father explaining how I was and what all had went on since I'd left. I hadn't spoken to him since the day I first boarded the bus to go to camp.

"I'll be back," I spoke to Hector, stepping down the stairs and making my way back to my tent. I didn't feel comfortable writing around all the others. I didn't want to write something secretive down just to have it snatched away and read from another camper.

I plopped down onto my bed and took out the crumbled up piece of paper which had been stashed into my pocket earlier that day.

 _Dear Dad,_

 _I've been at camp for a little over two weeks and I'm doing pretty well. The first few days seemed like hell since my hands were covered in blisters and I wasn't used to such intense weather conditions, but I've gotten used to it. I haven't found the anything yet, but I think I might be getting close. I don't know. But I do know that none of the other campers have caught on to the fact that I'm actually a girl. I told you I could pass as a boy. I've also built up some muscle from digging all day so when I come back, we'll have to arm wrestle to see who's the strongest. (-:_

 _\- Love, Jen_

I quickly folded up the paper and tossed my pencil over into my crate. I had to admit, I missed my father. We were together practically everyday and going from that to Camp Green Lake really was something else.

I then heard the dinner bell ring and all the other campers heading toward the cafeteria. I hid my letter underneath my pillow and rolled off of my bed, telling myself that I needed to remember to get an envelope and a stamp for mailing.

After dinner, the boys continued their little game of basketball, but switched out Ricky and Theodore for Alan and José since the two had to shower. I grasped the stamp and envelope in my hand as I headed back to my tent. My father was probably worried about me since I had yet to send him a letter. I hummed softly and pushed open the tent flaps.

 _Shit._

Inside the tent stood Ricky, his towel in one hand while my letter was in the other. I guess he had already finished reading it since his wide eyes slowly glanced up and focused on me. I tightened my fists and shifted my weight back and forth on my feet before frantically rushing over and snatching the letter out of his hands.

"Do you not know anything about personal space?" I spat, hoping that me scolding him would make him forget whatever he had read, "You don't just go reading other people's letters!"

He didn't say anything. He just stared. I knew he'd figured it out, which made me sigh heavily and rub my face with my hands. My stomach was in knots and I squeezed my eyes shut, not because I was about to cry but because I was about to puke.

"You can't say anything to anybody about this," I finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Y-you're a girl?" he stuttered out, his tall frame practically towering over mine even though there was at least two feet between us. I just ran a hand through my hair and nodded in defeat. There was no use in lying to him. "How'd you even get in here? This is a boys camp - they wouldn't let girls in here. Is your name even JC? Did you actually try stealin' a car? Does anyone else know about it?"

His overwhelming questions just made me more nervous, realizing that he could easily go tell Mr. Sir and get me kicked out. I fell back onto my bed and grasped the letter tighter into my hand.

"My name's Jennifer and I did steal the car," I started in a light tone, staring down at the floor as Ricky burned holes into my skin, "My dad faked some files. It's not as hard as people make it out to be. Nobody else knows."

It was silent for a while. I glanced up at him and seen in his eyes that he was debating on what he should've done next. I quickly rushed over to him with pleading eyes.

"Please. You can't tell anyone. I've kept it a secret for two weeks, I can do it for eleven more. Please," I begged, wanting to grasp onto his arm but remembered that he didn't like being touched. Once again, he didn't reply. Just stared down at me.

I turned on my heels as I heard someone else enter the tent. It was Theodore. He raised his eyebrow at Ricky and I and got his towel out of his crate.

"I forgot my towel," he spoke slowly, as if he needed to defend himself, "You guys fightin' or something?"

I shifted around awkwardly. And even though my back was to Ricky, I could tell that his paranoid eyes were looking back and forth between me and Theodore. I was waiting for him to sell me out.

"No. I was just givin' his letter back since he dropped it," Ricky replied casually. He shimmied passed me quietly and headed toward the tent flaps, not before sending a quick glance back at me.

 _So, he wasn't selling me out._

He left and I let out a gasp that I didn't know I was holding in. I fell back onto my cot and sighed, rubbing my face like earlier. I was relieved he didn't snitch on me, maybe because it was the 'rules' of camp. Or maybe he was going to later when it was the perfect timing. Or maybe he was going to use it as an advantage and blackmail me.

All of those crazy thoughts sped through my head and I honestly thought I was going to puke. The worst thing that could have happened happened. I needed to send the letter before anyone else read it.

The rest of the day was as usual, even though I was going through an existential crisis that I couldn't exactly talk about. Ricky didn't speak to me, but he sure did gawk and stare. And since that was like his usual behavior, nobody questioned him about it. I managed to not talk to anybody either, even Hector. I needed to gather my thoughts and carefully plan out what I was going to do. I couldn't just continue on and ignore the fact that Ricky knew. I couldn't risk him telling someone so I needed to talk to him about it when I could get him alone. And getting him alone wasn't exactly easy considering everywhere I went there were boys scattered around, searching for something to do. Plus, he was always with the others from D-tent.

I groaned softly when I was awoken by the morning alarm. I just wanted to sleep for a million years, but that was unrealistic.

"C'mon, Torero! Wake up!" José shouted obnoxiously, shaking me in my cot as he did so. I groaned once more and rolled over.

 _Today is going to be a long day._

A soggy bowl of cereal later, we all stood in our designated spots and started digging. I was surprised to see Ricky next to me, considering for the whole day yesterday he kept a ten foot distance between us. I was expecting him to say something, but still, he just focused on his hole and silently dug. It was only when the water truck came that I was able to speak to him.

"Ricky," I breathed, stepping out of my hole. He stopped and glanced at me.

"What?" he asked in an annoyed tone, his eyes squinted and eyebrows furrowed. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed at me or the heat.

"We need to talk about this," I whispered softly.

"Talk about what?"

I rolled my eyes and trailed behind him as he headed toward the water truck.

"You know what," I replied a bit too harshly, "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone. I won't be here that long - I'll eventually leave. You just have to keep this between me and you."

I quickly walked behind him, my voice growing softer and softer as we grew closer and closer to the others. I unknowingly followed him to his spot, earning a shove from Alan and a "Get to ya' spot, JC." It was obvious he was teasing me since he had a faint chuckle to his voice, so I didn't bother bickering with him. I only stumbled backwards and took my spot in line.

"Don't shove 'em, dude," Ricky said casually.

"Why not?" Alan shot back with a smirk, "He likes it! Don't you, Torero?"

I knew that I had been at camp for over two weeks, but the others still teased and harassed me. I guessed it'd be that way until a newer camper arrived. Until then, I was the 'new man.'

"Just don't. 'Aight?" Ricky replied back, his voice full of bitterness. Alan only shrugged in defense and turned to fill his jug - the topic instantly being dropped.


End file.
